My interview with Slayer guitarist/songwriter Kerry King (pictured) got pushed back and rescheduled more times than I would have liked. In fact, I was originally supposed to speak with singer/bassist Tom Araya. But today, about 30 minutes later than was scheduled, I finally got a call from King. He was in Switzerland getting ready for a gig.
"Oh, great, you don't have a fucking accent," King said jokingly when I answered the phone. "You're American."
Turns out the guitarist for the greatest of thrash metal bands is a pretty cool dude. I had to pry a bit, but he finally admitted to listening to music other than metal. In fact, he likes to kick back to The Eagles.
"It's my chill out, going-to-bed music," he said.
Slayer performs with Marylin Manson July 27 at the Ford Amphitheatre. King plans to drink Absinthe with Manson after the concert.
My interview with King will run in the CL that hits newsstands July 25.
This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2007.